The whole Arena is dark, and whispers of Zi Chen’s name fluttered through the crowd like leaves in the wind. Kent stood still on the eastern side of the fighting ring, his eyes fixed on a lone figure stood under the spotlight across him.
Kent recognized him at first sight… It was Zi Chen. Now it all made sense to Kent, why he was being challenged repeatedly. It was all Zi Chen’s doing.
The whispers around the Arena grew louder and turned into cheers as Zi Chen started walking towards the center, step by step. The spotlight followed him, showing off his flashy clothes and his lizard pet, which shimmered under the light. Zi Chen’s cloak moved like a wave behind him, adding drama to his entrance.
As Zi Chen reached the middle of the Arena, the big aurora screen above lit up with fiery words:
“Divine Justice”
Fighter Zi Chen, winner of nine streak matches and 7th rank holder of the Arena, known as Ground Burner, is here to challenge for a divine justice fight.”
The crowd couldn’t believe it. Soon they burst into a loud noise. No one expected 7th rank Zi Chen would challenge a newbie. It was a big surprise.
As most people belong to different sects, no one knew about the Kent and Sophia relationship or Zi Chen’s warning notice.
“Are you kidding me?! Zi Chen is at the peak level of Grand Master Magus,” people yelled.
“Isn’t it an injustice fight?”
“Stop making nonsense questions… Zi Chen knew that the new guy wouldn’t approve of his challenge. He is just here to show off.” Another fellow added.
“Yeah, no one in the right mind would dare to fight an opponent who is one realm higher.”
“By the way, why did Zi Chen trying to stomp on his fellow sect disciple? something is fishy.” A young lady in the crowd asked with a thoughtful pose.
Inside the fighting ring, Zi Chen finally reached the center and lifted his head with a cynical smile. Then, all the lights in the Arena came back on, and a new lady arbiter walked to the center to start the official proceedings.
Everyone is glued to their seats, eager to see what would happen next in this unexpected challenge match-up. Meanwhile, Fatty’s gaze fixed on the glass orb as he saw the details of Zi Chen in the Arena Forum. But his mouth went wide in surprise as he saw the name of Larry in the gambler details of Zi Chen.
The lady arbiter picked up her wand and began speaking in an amplified tone, addressing the entire arena. With a few words, she grabbed everyone’s attention and gestured towards Kent to approach him close to the center.
Eyeing Zi Chen varyingly, Kent reached the center and stood a short distance from Zi Chen, who is smiling proudly.
“Fighter Kent, as you are new to Arena, you might not know the rules of the Divine Justice fight. Each fighter had to address the Arena audience and announce their decision to fight or not in front of the whole crowd. As an initiator of the Divine Justice Challenge, Zi Chen will have the first opportunity to speak.” The lady arbiter spoke while turning towards Zi Chen.
“Mr. Chen, as you are well aware, you must state reasons for challenging Kent, please begin.” The lady passed the glowing wand with the symbol of Arena to Zi Chen.
Zi Chen made some gestures to attract the crowd before opening his mouth. “Well… well… well… You all might be wondering why a person of my strength is challenging a weak guy. The answer is that I have a personal feud with this fellow, and I can’t wait for him to reach my level before smashing his head.
[long pause]
With my family background, it won’t be hard for me to deal with a weak guy like him. But as a gentleman, I want to beat him fair and square in front of all the Arena.
[short pause]
Wait… you all might be thinking that I’m here to bully this guy. But I’m not an unreasonable person. So, to make it a balanced fight, I’m offering a few things from my end.
One, If I lose in this fight, my opponent can directly have my 7th rank in the Arena.” Zi Chen paused to let the crowd sink in and make some noise for his generosity.
“Two, I will give 2000 spirit stones from my pocket if I lose this fight.” More noise followed as everyone knew the value of 2000 spirit tones. It is the wealth of a small size family in capital.
Three, there is no need to fight right away as my opponent has already fought three consecutive battles. So, the fight will be scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I’m also ready to give more benefits if my opponent seeks them.” Zi Chen announced it in a proud tone while passing the wand to the lady arbiter.
Larry, who stood at the edge of the arena, gritted his teeth in anger. “Idiot, if you lose this match, you won’t be able to participate in the inheritance ground.” Larry muttered while cursing Zi Chen.
Many people thought the same as the news of the inheritance ground and sect competition circulated all over the golden bamboo city. The opinion of many audience changed as they all hoped Kent would accept this challenge now.
“2000 spirit stones…!!! I didn’t even see that much in my life.”
“He is definitely tempting the opponent to accept the fight.”
“What a great opportunity! But there is a realm of difference between two fighters. It’s impossible…”
Loud muttering followed in the crowd. No one expected Zi Chen to play with his rank, as inheritance ground is only one month away. If somehow Zi Chen loses this match, it’s impossible to rank up again within one month.
The lady arbiter waited for the crowd to express their shouts, cries, and celebratory fireworks. After that, she passed the wand to Kent.
Kent observed the crowd and Zi Chen for some time with a serious look. “Before revealing my choice, I have another request from Zi Chen, if he is okay with it, I will definitely accept his Divine Justice challenge.” Kent spoke calmly and waited for Zi Chen’s reaction.
The entire Arena turned pin-drop silent as everyone perked their ears to listen. Zi Chen, who thought Kent might ask for some extra coins or make any unbelievable requests to reject his challenge,.
Smirking cynically, he gestured for Kent to speak.
“If I win this fight, you must not interfere between me and your sister. I don’t want Sophia to struggle between me and her brother.” Kent spoke calmly without fearing Zi Chen’s narrow gaze.
The proud smile vanished from Zi Chen’s face, and his fists clenched in anger. He almost took a step forward with a punching gesture.
The entire Arena fell silent. But soon that silence turned into a loud uproar. Even the lady arbiter between Kent and Zi Chen stood in shock.
“Is he for real?” The old lady administrator of Healing Sun Peak muttered while staring at Kent through a glass orb.